One debate only on this topic!!!

[ollyjolly]

Now that Iran has refused to comply with yet another UN resolution what should be done if anything to Iran as punishment for trying to get Nukes. How will we contain an intervention from Isreal? What happens If they get a nuke?

[Whickerman]

The West should do exactly what they did when other countries ignored UN resolutions. Nothing.

EG - Israel. Famous for ignoring the UN. Nothing ever done.

[Gromit]

Below are three links reporting the same same story about Iran. Can you work out whose people are being lied to?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml =/news/2007/03/05/wiran05.xml

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D4EEF78 3-C1CE-467F-824C-DD67943B2255.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/05/world/middle east/05saudi.html?n=Top%2fNews%2fWorld%2fCount ries%20and%20Territories%2fIran

[anotheoldgit]

Is there any difference to Isreal/America/Britain/Parkistan/India/China/Russia, also having a Nuke

[ollyjolly]

Very interesting point about us having nukes. My argument against that point would be that we are stable countries and they are a detterent where as in Iran they might be used in the first instance. Do you think Isreal would stand there and let them get to the bomb. I think we have less than a year to sort it out or Isreal will strike like they did in 1981 in Iraq with thier nuclear reactors

[WaldoMcFroog]

"My argument against that point would be that we are stable countries and they are a detterent where as in Iran they might be used in the first instance."

Like the USA did against Japan, you mean? Whatever the rights and wrongs of its use on those two occasions, the West certainly has no legitimate grounds to assume the moral high ground on such issues - and every time we do, it simply proves to others how evil and corrupt we are.

[kwicky]

If you are continually threatened by a superpower you can roll over and put out the white flag or else take every step within your means to acquire nuclear weapons to defend yourself. Iran has decided to do the latter! Like the big bully on the block it seems all the threats these days come from members of the nuclear club.

[Bazile]

anotheoldgit - the iranian president as you will be aware has openly stated that Israel should be ' wiped out from the map'

He has also stated that if he ever became the supreme decision maker in his country , he would sacrifice HALF of Iran for the sake of eliminating Israel .
I have no doubt he is serious .

After he has eliminated Israel , who would be next ?

As far as I am aware , none of the countries in your list has made threats like these about another country - that seems to me to be a big difference

[WaldoMcFroog]

Well, he wouldn't sacrifice half of Iran, would he? If Iran nuked Israel, it would be wiped from the face of the earth in return, as Ahmadinejad knows perfectly well. There's a big difference between the rhetoric and the reality.

[Bazile]

Who is to say what a person with a mind like Ahmadinejad
would be prepared to do , irrespective of the consequences ?

We hope it is just Rhetoric - history is littered with
' madmen'

[kwicky]

Ahmadinegad was elected fair and square in the Iranian elections. We have heard nothing except democracy from the USA and when it arrives they try to discredit it. Freedom to the USA only means that you agree with their misguided policies.

[kevin59]

McFroog... totally agree with you. Just big talks, as Israel recent purchase of submarines (from US!) capable of launching nuclear war heads. They don�t even have to have a base in Israel to launch them, they can be launched from anywhere. And IF (a big if) Iran launches one crude, low level, low tech 'A' bomb which will be intercepted by the west high tech defense missiles systems. The whole Iran will be flatten, like a pancake before they have a chance to press the second button and everybody knows that. So Iranian government may be stupid by opening their mouth and saying stuff, but they are not crazy and it�s all rhetoric from some hard lads. Unfortunately neither side understand each other mentality, otherwise the situation would have been much better by now. And the other point is, wouldn't you get a wee bit nervous if you where sandwiched (in Afghanistan and Iraq) by your so called the enemy the Great Satan which both have been invaded preemptively?

[tigerlily11]

Very interesting point about us having nukes. My argument against that point would be that we are stable countries

Olly Thats a good point. I'm not sure if any country is that stable really,things change but it the scariest thing in the world to me that an unstable, none to bright individual like George Bush should ever have his hand on the button.

[jump79]

There's no need for any action, the fact that there are many other countries around Iran that already have nukes (probably in greater number too) should serve as a good enough deterrence if it tries to use its nukes to launch an attack. No leader/country would ever be stupid enough to do that.